European Commission plans to ban social media for minors
The digital world has become an inseparable part of life, yet its doors are open to everyone without distinction. Children, whose minds are still developing, find themselves in the same information environment as adults, facing risks they are not prepared for. Protecting the younger generation from the dangers of cyberspace has become one of the key challenges of modern society, and the European Union is ready to take a decisive step in this direction.
According to a report by the European media outlet Euractiv published on Thursday, the European Commission is expected to present a plan to ban social media use by minors across the entire European Union in September this year. EU member states have already been informed of the proposal's details. Several EU officials said that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to announce the recommendations during her annual address to the European Parliament on 16 September.
An advisory group on online safety for minors is due to submit a relevant report on 13 July, which will serve as the basis for the Commission's decisions. However, it remains unclear what age threshold the Commission will set for social media use and how the plan will be implemented in practice. EU governments have put forward various proposals for enforcing the ban, ranging from full access restrictions for minors below a certain age to requiring explicit parental consent before minors can use platforms.
Recently, a number of EU member states have introduced or plan to introduce their own restrictions. In April, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed banning social media for children under 15. In February, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his intention to pursue legislation prohibiting access to social media platforms for those under 16. Media analysts note that as several EU countries take the lead in implementing national restrictions, the need for a unified pan European regulation banning social media for minors is growing rapidly. As CCTV+ reports. The coming months are expected to see intensified debate over this proposal, both within EU institutions and at the national level.
